Author Baroness Emma Orczy - creator of the Scarlet Pimpernel The creator of the Scarlet Pimpernel was the Hungarian-born novelist Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Emma Magdalena Rosalia Maria Josefa Barbara Orczy was born on 23 September 1865 at the family estate "Tarna-ï¿½rs" in Hungary, the second daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. baron Orczy was a friend of the great composers Wagner, Liszt and Gounod, who were regular visitors to the family's estate. The baron, fearful of the consequences of a peasant revolt in Hungary, moved himself and his family from Budapest to Brussels and then on to Paris. In Brussels and Paris young Emma was educated in convent schools and studied music without success. The family soon thereafter moved to London where Emma was 15 when she learned to speak English. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Later, while studying at the Heatherby School of Art, Emma Orczy met Montague Barstow, who she married in 1894. Together they wrote and illustrated books and magazine articles and together published an edition of Hungarian folk stories.

The gifted young Emma was also a talented artist and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. Hard times As a young married couple starting life together Emma and Montague had little money. He had to work as a translator and an illustrator to supplement his meagre income. Emma started writing soon after the birth of her only child, John Montague Orczy-Barstow, in 1899. Her first novel, The Emperor's Candlesticks (1899), was a failure. She did, however, fare better with a series of detective stories, The Old Man in the Corner, which were published in the Royal Magazine. (The stories later featured in a series of British movies from 1924 onwards.) Emma enjoyed more sucess with next novel, In Mary's Reign, which was published in 1901. Birth of the Pimpernel A turning point came in 1903 when Emma and Montague wrote a play based on one of Emma's short stories. The story was about an English aristocrat, Sir Percy Blakeney, who rescued his French counterparts from the bloody revolution taking place in that country.

Emmy drew on her own family's plight of having to flee from the empowered working classes in penning the famous literary character. She submitted her novelization of the story under the same title to 12 publishers before it was published in 1905. An interesting aside is that while waiting for a publisher to take up her novel, Emma had her play accepted by Fred Terry and Julia Neilson for production in the West End. Initially, it drew small audiences but ended up running for four years in London. The play broke many stage records and was translated and produced in other countries. It underwent a number of revivals. Most importantly, the theatrical success of the play generated huge sales for the novel. Other work Baroness Orczy is best remembered for The Scarlet Pimpernel but she also wrote scores of mystery novels, adventure romances and other titles. At least a dozen of her novels were follow-ups to The Scarlet Pimpernel. These, however, were generally regarded as less successful. Still, her work was commercially successful and she was able to buy an estate in Monte Carlo, where she lived with Montague and John from 1910 onwards. They remained in Monaco during the Nazi occupation.

Her husband died in 1942. After World War II, the baroness moved to England where she spent her remaining years. Orczy was a prolific writer and worked actively until her eighties. Her autobiography, "Links in the Chain of Life", was published in 1947. Baroness Orczy died in Henley-on-Thames on November the 12th, 1947.

THE WORKS OF BARONESS EMMA ORCZY The Emperor's Candlesticks (1899) The Case Of Miss Elliott, 1905 A Son Of The People, 1906 I Will Repay, 1906 The Sin Of William Jackson, 1906 (Play, With Montagu Barstow) In Mary's Reign, 1907 Beau Brocade, 1908 (Play, With Montagu Barstow) Old Man In The Corner, 1909 The Nest Of The Sparrowhawk, 1909 Lady Molly Of Scotland Yard, 1910 - Scotland Yardin Lady Molly Petticoat Government, 1910 The Duke's Wager, 1911 (Play) The Traitor, 1912 Fire In The Stubble, 1912 Eldorado, 1913 A Bride Of The Plains, 1915 Leatherface: A Tale Of Old Flanders, 1916 Old Scarecrow, 1916 A Sheaf Of Bluebells, 1917 Lord Tony's Wife, 191

7 The Man In Grey, 1918 - Harmaapukuinen Mies The Leaque Of The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1919 His Majesty's Well-Beloved, 1919 Castles In The Air, 1921 Nicolette, 1922 The Triumph Of The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1922 The Honourable Jim, 1924 Les Beaux Et Les Dandys De Grands Siï¿½cles En Angleterre, 1924 Unravelled Knots, 1925 The Miser Of Maida Vale, 1925 A Question Of Temptation, 1925 The Celestial City, 1926 Sir Percy Hits Back, 1927 Skin O' My Tooth, 1928 Blue Eyes And Grey, 1929 Adventures Of The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1929 Marivosa, 1931 In Te Rue Monge, 1931 A Child Of The Revolution, 1932 A Joyous Adventure, 1932 The Way Of The Scarlet

 Pimpernel, 1933 The Scarlet Pimpernel Looks At The World, 1933 A Spy Of Napoleon, 1934 The Uncrowned King, 1935 Sir Percy Leads The Band, 1936 The Turbulent Duchess: H.R.H.

Madame Le Duchesse De Berri, 1936 Divine Folly, 1937 Emma Orczy, Author The Scarlet Pimpernel - Timeline Index Timeline Index Emma Orczy, Author The Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Emma Orczy was a British novelist, playwright and artist of Hungarian noble origin. She was most notable for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel. In 1903, she and her husband wrote a play based on one of her short stories about an English aristocrat, Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart., who rescued French aristocrats from the French Revolution: The Scarlet Pimpernel. She submitted her novelization of the story under the same title to 12 publishers. While she was waiting for the decisions of these publishers, Fred Terry and Julia Neilson accepted the play for production in the West End. Initially, it drew small audiences, but the play ran four years in London, broke many stage records, was translated and produced in other countries, and underwent several revivals. This theatrical success generated huge sales for the novel.

More on this Website The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel (Dodo Press) : Baroness Baroness Emmuska Orczy : 9781409917496 The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel (Dodo Press) Paperback Add to basket Add to wishlist Description Baroness, (Emusca/Emmuska/Emma Magdalena Rosalia Marie Josepha Barbara) Orczy, Mrs Barstow (1865-1947) was a British novelist, playwright and artist of Hungarian origin. She was most notable for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel. Some of her paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. Her parents left Hungary in 1868, fearful of the threat of a peasant revolution. They lived in Budapest, Brussels, and Paris, where Emma studied music without success. Finally, in 1880, the family moved to London where they lodged with their countryman Francis Pichler.

In 1903, she and her husband, Montague MaClean Barstow, wrote a play based on one of her short stories about an English aristocrat, Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart., who rescued French aristocrats from the French revolution: The Scarlet Pimpernel. She went on to write over a dozen sequels featuring Sir Percy Blakeney, his family, and the other members of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, of which the first, I Will Repay (1906), was the most popular. The last Pimpernel book, Mam'zelle Guillotine, was published in 1940. She also wrote popular mystery fiction and many adventure romances.

show more Product details 147.32 x 223.52 x 25.4mm | 385.55g Publication date Emmuska Orczy (Author of The Scarlet Pimpernel) edit data Full name: Emma ("Emmuska") Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi was a Hungarian-British novelist, best remembered as the author of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1905). Baroness Orczy's sequels to the novel were less successful. She was also an artist, and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. Her first venture into fiction was with crime stories. Among her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner, who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924, starring Rolf Leslie. Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod.

Orc Full name: Emma ("Emmuska") Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi was a Hungarian-British novelist, best remembered as the author of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1905). Baroness Orczy's sequels to the novel were less successful. She was also an artist, and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. Her first venture into fiction was with crime stories. Among her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner, who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924, starring Rolf Leslie. Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art.

Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales. Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel. ...more Baroness Emmuska Orczy | Hungarian author | Britannica.com Baroness Emmuska Orczy Baroness Emmuska Orczy, (born September 23, 1865, Tarnaörs, Hungary —died November 12, 1947, London , England ), Hungarian-born British novelist chiefly remembered as author of The Scarlet Pimpernel , one of the greatest popular successes of the 20th century. Baroness Emmuska Orczy. The Print Collector/Heritage-Images The only child of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, she was educated in Brussels and Paris, then studied art in London. She later exhibited some of her work in the Royal Academy.

She became famous in 1905 with the publication of The Scarlet Pimpernel, set in the times of the French Revolution , and relating the swashbuckling adventures of the “elusive” Sir Percy Blakeney, whose mission was to smuggle French aristocrats out of the country to safety. Orczy produced sequels—The Elusive Pimpernel (1908), The Way of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1933)—which were less successful than the original. She also wrote several detective stories, including Lady Molly of Scotland Yard (1910) and Unravelled Knots (1925). Learn More in these related articles: More about Baroness Emmuska Orczy 1 Reference found in Britannica Articles Assorted Reference “Scarlet Pimpernel, The” (in The Scarlet Pimpernel ) External Links Emmuska Orczy - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) (1865-1947).

The Hungarian-born British novelist Baroness Emmuska Orczy is chiefly remembered as the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel, one of the greatest popular novels of the early 20th century. Set in the times of the French Revolution, the book recounts the swashbuckling adventures of Sir Percy Blakeney, whose mission is to smuggle French aristocrats out of the country to safety. Article History Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context.

(Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Article Title: Baroness Emmuska Orczy Website Name: Encyclopædia Britannica Date Published: December 29, 2015 URL: Access Date: December 28, 2016 Share Historical Accuracy of The Scarlet Pimpernel novels Historical Accuracy of The Scarlet Pimpernel 1789, one of the most pivotal events in history took place in the kingdom of France. The French Revolution affected many aspects of political and social life throughout all of western Europe, and its repercussions would be felt for generations to come. Several British authors in the nineteenth century wrote fictional works with the revolution as a setting.

One of the most prolific writers of the period, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, wrote a series of books about the revolution, the most popular of which was The Scarlet Pimpernel. Many authors in the nineteenth century wrote books dealing with this historical event, but Baroness Orczy's novels are the most historically accurate. All of the Pimpernel novels have a characteristic beginning. Each starts with a summary of the events that have so far taken place in the revolution, and the current events which will have some impact on the plot of the novel. These introductions contain many historical facts. And, appropriately, the main villains in her novels are the main leaders of the Revolution, especially Maximillian Robespierre, Collot d'Herbois, and Chauvelin. The Scarlet Pimpernel, written in 1905, is the story of a young French actress, Marguerite St. Just, who marries a wealthy English nobleman, Sir Percival Blakeney. She becomes quickly estranged from her husband, as he begins to appear more and more foppish and distant.

An agent of the French Revolutionary government, Chauvelin, comes to England to enlist Marguerite's aid in helping him find the Scarlet Pimpernel, an unidentified Englishman who rescues condemned French aristocrats from the guillotine. Unsuspected by Marguerite, the elusive hero turns out to be her husband, Sir Percy. After several adventures in France to rescue Marguerite's brother, Armand St. Just, the Blakeneys return safely to England and are reconciled. This novel, originally written as a play, was so successful that a series of books based on the adventures of Sir Percy followed. The stories take place between 1792 and 1795, and include many historical events and people. One of the most interesting aspects of all the Pimpernel books is the accuracy of the characters portrayed. Unlike Charles Dicken's Tale of Two Cities which does not use any historical people as main characters, the majority of characters in the Pimpernel books are recorded in history. In particular, the relationship of the main character, Marguerite, to the real revolutionary, Louis-Antoine St. Just is fascinating.

Throughout the novels, Baroness Orczy depicts Marguerite as the cousin of Louis-Antoine. In fact, Louis-Antoine St. Just was a young lawyer, only twenty-six, and a close adherent of Maximillian Robespierre (Rudé 97). A fanatical Jacobin, he believed in punishing not only "traitors" but also those who were "indifferent" and not enthusiastic revolutionaries (Hibbert 225). In The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Orczy depicts a scene in which St. Just, Robespierre, and other revolutionary leaders meet. St. Just is depicted as young, enthusiastic, and eloquent in speech, all virtues which the real St. Just is recorded to have had. He was considered to be the most effective orator in the revolutionary party (Popkin 67). Also depicted in this novel was Jean Lambert Tallien, a revolutionary leader who did not support Robespierre. While commissioned in Bordeaux, he fell in love with Theresa Cabbarrus, formerly the Comtesse de Fontenay, who was a prisoner.

He was accused of having come under her influences, and losing his zeal for the revolution (Hibbert 260). At this time, Robespierre and St. Just had been writing up a list of other revolutionary leaders who were to be condemned as traitors. In August of 1794, as St. Just was preparing to speak to the Convention about the list of condemned traitors, Tallien interrupted him and placed the blame of all the nation's problems on Robespierre and St. Just (Hibbert 262). Many joined him in this, and Robespierre was outnumbered and forced to surrender his power. He, St. Just, and many other important leaders were sent to a violent death on the guillotine (Hibbert 262). Baroness Orczy, in The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel, uses these facts about Tallien and the Comtesse de Fontenay in her plot. She introduces the Comtesse de Fontenay as Tallien's fiancee.

By having the Comtesse arrested, the Scarlet Pimpernel was able to urge Tallien to rise against Robespierre, whom everyone feared, in order to save her life. This inevitably led to the execution of the main enemies in the story. And history records that the Comtesse de Fontenay, after marrying Tallien, later divorced him and remarried two more times (Hibbert 317). Eldorado, written in 1906, relates to many historical personages and events. In this novel, the Scarlet Pimpernel attempts a daring rescue of the Dauphin of France. Baroness Orczy describes a gruesome scene in the Temple Prison, in which the young prince is given spirits to drink, is forced to wear the revolutionary cap, sing the revolutionary "Ca Ira!" and trample the royal flag. He was then taught by Simon, the shoemaker who was put in charge of him, to curse his parents and accuse them of many atrocities (Ocrzy, Eldorado 46-47). This scene, however, is very accurate to recorded history.

The Dauphin's older sister, who had been incarcerated with him, later wrote: ...and her [Marie Antoinette] misery was increased when she knew that the shoemaker Simon was in charge of him...We often went up into the tower. My brother went by every day and the only pleasure my mother had was to watch him pass by through a little window. Sometimes she waited there for hours to get a glimpse of her beloved child. . . Every day we heard him and Simon singing the Carmagnole, the Marseillaise and many other horrid songs. Simon made him wear a red bonnet and a carmagnole jacket and forced him to sing at the windows so as to be heard by the guard and to blaspheme God and curse his family and the aristocrats (Hibbert 221). It was also recorded that after the Terror, the "Ca Ira!" was sung by revolutionaries (Hibbert 320). Also in this novel, a main character is the Baron de Batz, who works for the Austrian government, and is involved with many plots to save the royal family and other aristocrats. These schemes have also been recorded as historical fact (Doyle 267).

But, as in the novel, most of his plots failed and only helped to irritate the revolutionary leaders and to bring about the arrest of many royalist supporters (Doyle 277). Also, Hébert, a known revolutionary Jacobin, was suspected by Robespierre of supporting de Batz and possibly the Prime Minister of England, Pitt (Doyle 267). Baroness Orczy includes this idea, and depicts a sort of cooperation between de Batz and Hébert. One of the most memorable events of the Revolution occurred on July 13, 1793 when Charlotte Corday assassinated the infamous Marat (Popkin 71). Jean-Paul Marat was a journalist who founded the paper known as L'Ami du peuple. Often in trouble with the authorities, he hid for some time in the cellars and sewers of Paris, where he contracted prurigo, a painful and gruesome looking skin disease (Hibbert 142). Charlotte Corday, after several attempts to hold audience with Marat, was finally admitted under the pretense that she had a list of traitors who needed to be dealt with.

She proceeded to reveal the names of the traitors to him, which he began to take down in order to have them executed. She then pulled a sharpened dinner knife from her bodice and punctured his left lung (Hibbert 213). And this is the setting for the short story "Sir Percy Explains" in The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. The Elusive Pimpernel is also an excellent example of Baroness Orczy's accurate depiction of historical events. On June 8, 1794 Robespierre conducted in Boulogne a festival in worship of a Supreme Being. Earlier, the revolutionaries had tried to dechristianize France by forbidding any sort of worship. This failed, and the festival of the Supreme Being was a means of trying to reverse the damage. Robespierre declared their belief in immorality and the existence of some superior being (Doyle 276). In the novel, Désirée Candeille, a young French actress, is commissioned by the revolutionary leaders to help them lure the Scarlet Pimpernel over to France.

Later in Boulogne, she is made the "Goddess of Reason" in a festival issued by Robespierre, very like the Supreme Being of history. Also, besides the French characters which really existed, many of the characters from England are recorded in history. The most relevant of these is George IV, Prince of Wales at this time. He is supposedly a very good friend of Sir Percy's in the novels. Also, many government officials such as the Prime Minister, William Pitt "The Younger" and Lord William Grenville are included in the novels. In France during the eighteenth century, many liberal revolutionary ideas began to filter into politics and other aspects of society. The revolution was driven by these violent radical ideas. Baroness Orczy portrayed just this atmosphere in her books. The revolutionaries always went to the greatest extremes to accomplish their goals. Therefore, no one in France was safe from arrest or death. And the accounts of the real revolution prove that the atmosphere in France was bleak, as shown in her novels. There was much sympathy in Europe for the French during the Reign of Terror, but very little was done to help. While the revolution was going on, the French also had to fight a war with other European countries including England.

This war was about the only thing done to help the innocent French people during this time. Baroness Orczy, who lived from 1865 to 1947, wrote fifteen Scarlet Pimpernel books altogether. They all clearly show her vast knowledge of the events and society of Revolutionary France and much information and understanding of the French Revolution can be gained from Baroness Orczy's books. Bibliography Doyle, William. The Oxford History of the French Revolution. London: Oxford University Press, 1990. Hibbert, Christopher. The Days of the French Revolution. New York: Morrow Quill, 1981. Orczy, Baroness Emmuska. Eldorado. New York: Buccaneer Books, Inc., 1985. ----- The Elusive Pimpernel. New York: Buccaneer Books, Inc., 1984. ----- The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. New York: Buccaneer Books,Inc., 1983. ----- The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel. New York: Buccaneer Books, Inc., 1984. Popkin, Jeremy D. A Short History of the French Revolution.

New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1995. Rudé, George. The French Revolution. New York: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1988. © Blakeney Manor, 2012 Hugh O Flaherty Memorial Vatican Pimpernel Scarlet Pimpernel of The Vatican (written by JP Gallagher - published 1967) Review - Irish newspaperman J.P. Gallagher first heard about Hugh O’Flaherty while covering the war front, and was largely responsible for bringing the Monsignor’s story to the attention of the world at large. In one feature the reporter dubbed O’Flaherty the “Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican” after the fictional hero of a popular adventure series by novelist Emma Orczy. The name stuck. After the war, Gallagher continued to be intrigued by the story and after much pleading on the reporter’s part, the reluctant Monsignor was persuaded to give one interview. This, plus much research and many other interviews with people who knew, helped, or were helped by the priest, became the basis for Gallagher’s book, Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican, published in the late sixties.

With true Irish storytelling flair, Gallagher makes Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican read like a novel. The book moves chronologically through O’Flaherty’s life, focusing most closely on the war years. The chapters are filled with fascinating anecdotes (who knew that the one of the refugees, a young Yugoslav med student, would end up marrying actress Gina Lollobrigida?). O’Flaherty may come across as larger than life, but he never seems less than real. Any writer knows how hard it is to portray an honestly good person - in this Gallagher has succeeded. Gallagher does have the attitudes of his era, a definite pro-British slant, and a regrettable tendency to fictionalize dialogue of the “Wait! We kom!” variety for the Germans. On the whole the book is well-written, fast-paced, and never disappoints. Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican is out-of-print now, and a bit hard to find, but if you’re seriously interested in the Monsignor, it’s worth tracking down.

Hugh O'Flaherty - His Wartime Adventures (written by Alison Walsh - published 2010) Review - This book is written in child friendly language and will capture the imagination of children at the senior end of the primary school. Hugh O'Flaherty was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. A Kerryman who loved sport, he was cheerful and full of energy. He was in Rome in 1939 when the Second World War broke out and when Mussolini sided with Hitler. From his safe base in the Vatican, he developed a network of contacts, including donors of money and food, to help escaped prisoners of war and others whose lives were in danger. But the work was very dangerous, especially when he ventured out in disguise. This earned him the nickname 'The Pimpernel of the Vatican'. The Gestapo chief in Rome ordered that he be killed or captured but Hugh was never caught. When the Allies freed Rome, Hugh had helped over 6,500 people to escape imprisonment or even death. He was awarded many high honours for his bravery and courage, and retired to Kerry in 1960. He died in 1963 and is buried in Caherciveen.

Hide and Seek (written by Stephen Walker - published 2011) Review - After Italy exited the war in 1943, many of the Allied PoWs who went on the run, found that their improbable saviour was to be an Irish priest based in the Vatican who had once had a strong dislike of the British, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. With the help of the British Ambassador to the Holy See, Sir D’Arcy Osborne, O’Flaherty began to hide the many PoWs who found their way to Rome in safe houses. Escapees were dressed up as clerics and smuggled past German guardposts, while O’Flaherty himself once shed his robes and posed as a coalman to escape soldiers hunting him in a palazzo. One officer shammed dead in an open coffin during a search, while others were hastily concealed under the skirts of innocent-looking nuns. By 1944, the Escape Line was sheltering some 3,000 people, including Jews, in more than 200 places around the city. Its records were kept safe in biscuit tins buried by Sir D’Arcy in the Vatican’s gardens.

Indeed, much of the appeal of this story lies in the incongruity of its setting, with the Baroque splendour of St Peter’s Square doubling as a hub of espionage. Even the villain of the piece, police chief Herbert Kappler, seems to be from central casting, right down to his membership of the SS and his duelling scar. Yet this was no pantomime, and many of the ordinary Italians on whom O’Flaherty relied were betrayed, tortured and executed. Kappler even came up with a plan to kidnap the Irishman while he was at Mass, hustle him over the white line separating the Vatican from Italy, and have him shot “while escaping”. Only a timely tip-off allowed the Swiss Guards to foil the scheme. Yet the tale of the Vatican’s Scarlet Pimpernel had an extraordinary final twist. While Kappler was on trial for war crimes in Rome in 1946, he converted to Roman Catholicism – and the priest who received him into the church was none other than the one he had tried so hard to kill, Hugh O’Flaherty.

With little in the way of personal testimony to draw on, Walker cannot quite draw out the motivations of each man, but there is nevertheless something remarkably affecting about such a reconciliation. The old stories are, it seems, still the best ones. The Rome Escape Line (written by Lt. Col. Sam I. Derry - published 1960) Amazing as this WW2 story is, nothing about it is more remarkable than the fact that it has remained untold for so long. After the collapse of Mussolini’s empire and the virtual surrender of the Italian army, Italian guards deserted their posts and allied POW’s were free to attempt escape across German occupied Italy. Major Sam Derry escaped when he jumped from a prison train taking him to Germany. His suicidal bid for freedom ended in Rome and more precisely in the Vatican where he met Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. Together they masterminded the Rome Escape Line through which thousands of escapees were processed to freedom. When Rome was liberated in June 1944, they handed over nearly four thousand escapees who were still in safe hiding, under the noses of the Gestapo.

In the foreword to his book, Sam Derry wrote, “This book has been written unbeknown to Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty C.B.E.: one of the finest men it has been my privilege ever to meet. Had it not been for this gallant gentleman, there would have been no Rome Escape Organisation”. The Scarlet Pimpernel | novel by Orczy | Britannica.com The Scarlet Pimpernel To Kill a Mockingbird The Scarlet Pimpernel, romantic novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy , produced as a play in 1903 and published in book form in 1905. The novel’s protagonist, Sir Percy Blakeney, ostensibly a foppish English aristocrat, is secretly the Scarlet Pimpernel, a swashbuckling hero and elusive master of disguise who rescues French aristocrats and smuggles them out of France to safety during the French Revolution . His nemesis is Citizen Chauvelin, a ruthless agent of Robespierre.

The author chronicled further adventures of the hero in such sequels as The Elusive Pimpernel (1908) and The Way of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1933). In film versions, Leslie Howard starred as Sir Percy in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1935). Barry K. Barnes portrayed the character in The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1938), and David Niven played the role in The Fighting Pimpernel (1954). Learn More in these related articles: More about The Scarlet Pimpernel 1 Reference found in Britannica Articles Assorted Reference discussed in biography (in Baroness Emmuska Orczy ) External Links Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience.

You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Close Article Title: The Scarlet Pimpernel Website Name: Encyclopædia Britannica Date Published: January 09, 2015 URL: Access Date: January 20, 2017 Share Baroness Emmuska Orczy Biography, Quotes, Works and Writings – ReadCentral.com Quotes by Baroness Emmuska Orczy  Sorry no quotes for author are available yet!!!  Baroness Emmuska Orczy's Biography Hungarian-British novelist best remembered as the author of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1905). Baroness Orczy's sequels to the novel were less successful. A man with a double identity the Scarlet Pimpernel can be regarded as one of the forefathers of Superman Batman and other comic book superheroes. Orczy was also an artist and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy London. Orczy's first venture into fiction was with crime stories. In this genre her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924 starring Rolf Leslie.

Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarna-Örs Hungary the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy a noted composer and conductor and his wife Countess Emma Wass. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner Liszt and Gounod; the family was connected to Franz Josef of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. After rebellious peasants had destroyed their farm on the river Tarna Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. For a period in her youth she studied music but her talent did not lie in that direction. In London Orczy attended the West London School of Art. While studying at the Heatherby School of Art Orczy met Montague MacLean Barstow a young illustrator; they married in 1894. Their marriage was a happy union of two two talented people. Together the couple began to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.

Orczy's first detective stories were published in The Royal Magazine and collected in THE CASE OF MISS ELLIOT (1905). Her interest in crime stories was prompted by suspense dramas and a real-life crime: the body of a dead woman was found in front of their house. The victim was purpoted to have been killed by "Jack the Ripper" who had terrorized London in the Whitechapel area in 1888. Orczy became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel which ran for four years. It was written with her husband – he co-authored two other plays THE SIN OF WILLIAM JACKSON (1906) produced in London and BEAU BROCADE (prod. in 1908) which was based on Orczy's novel. The dramatized version of Pimpernel starring Fred Terry and Julia Neilson premiered at Nottingham's Theatre Royal and was given a London run in 1905 at the New Theatre. More than a dozen publishers rejected the book adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Orczy's novel had as its background the French Revolution as in Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities. Sir Percy Blakeney is a mysterious hero who saves the lives the French aristocrats and helps them to escape the guillotine. He falls in love with a beautiful actress Marguerite St Just. To conceal from Marguerite and others his secret identity as the master of disguise Sir Percy assumes the role of a clumsy English aristocrat. As a spy Percy can be seen as a forefather of James Bond and other espionage agents. The persecutor of the Scarlet Pimpernel is Citizen Chauvelin an agent of Robespierre. Orczy's sympathies were shown clearly: she was suspicious of the "lower orders" especially revolutionaries and their ideals as exemplified in the famous phrase "Liberté Egalite Fratenité". Pimpernel rescued the French nobility – sometimes others – only because he admired the nobility of all countries. Once Percy disguises himself as a Jew thinking that the French despise Jews and do not ask questions.

He also formed a band of helpers Sir Andrew Ffoulkes Lord Anthony Dewhurst Lord Hastings etc. Later Marguerite Blakeney and Lauren willing wrote the Pink Carnation series about the associates. The bestselling book inspired several film versions the best of which was The Scarler Pimpernel (1934). It was directed by the American Harold Young starring Leslie Howard (Sir Percy) and Merle Oberon (Marguerite) his wife. Raymond Massey played the villainous Frenchman Chauvelin who tries to trap Pimpernel. The original director Roland V. Brown was fired on his first day at work for one of many times in his odd career. Howard and Oberon became lovers while filming causing her to break off her engagement to Joseph Schenk the head of United Artists. She was later to marry the producer Alexander Korda. Most probably both Korda and Howard saw the film as a commentary on Nazi Germany. After directing this film Young went back to the United States and continued his career in B pictures. Korda produced two further Scarlet Pimpernel features.

Although Howard was considered ideally suited for the role Orczy considred him too short (height 5' 10½) and he did not look strong enough to stand against Massey who was a tall man (height 6' 1). Orczy's best known detective character was the Old Man in the Corner who solved mysteries in thirty-eight stories without leaving his chair like professor Van Dusen or later Nero Wolfe. His name Chris Owen was suggested in 'The Mysterious Death in Percy Street' but in later stories his name is not mentioned. This nondescript armchair detective spends much of his life in the corner of a London teashop drinking milk and eating cheesecake. Occiasionally he visits the crime scenes and takes photographs. A young reporter Polly Burton brings him details of crimes which baffle the police. Although The Old Man does not hide his upper class attitudes he sometimes feels sympathy for the criminals perhaps because in the final story of the first series he is revealed as a murdered himself.

In the 1970s the character was portrayed in the Thames TV series The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes when the case of 'The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway' was dramatized. Judy Geeson was casted in the role of Polly Burton a journalist for The Echo. The Irish lawyer Patrick Mulligan was the hero of 12 stories in SKIN O' MY TOOTH (1928); it was also his nickname. M. Hector Ratichon a highly unscrupulous "volunteer police agent" in the Paris of 1813 fearured in seven cases in CASTLES IN THE AIR (1921). In the short story 'The Great Pearl Mystery' Major Gilroy Straker is arrested for the murder of Madame Hypnos. Moreover the Countess Zakrevski's stolen pearls are found in his room at the Dominions Club. Straker's explanation is not very good and her sister Mary hires Patrick Mulligan to defend him. "He did not do it Mr Mulligan. God knows he did not do it but human justice does err at times and – well!

it's no use saying anything more – is it?" Mulligan finds out that a gang of malefactors are behind the crimes. Pincetti the proprietor of a Continental restaurant is the head of the organization. Again Orczy's characters use disguises and a socially respected person is wrongly suspected of a crime. The culprits are found among people who are distant relatives. Bacco one of the criminals is a waitress. "'An innocent man's only hope of safety hanging on a glove button with a scrap of yellow washing kid still attached to it!' Skin o' My Tooth remarked to me when we were back at the office. 'Give me the evening paper Muggins and let's think of something else.'" (from 'The Great Pearl Mystery' in The Shadows of Sherlock Holmes 1998) Orczy's attempt to create a female aristocratic hero Lady Molly Robertson-Kirk from the 'Female Department of Scotland Yard' was not so successful. She solved 12 cases in LADY MOLLY OF SCOTLAND YARD (1910). Lady Molly's methods included disguises.

Once she helped the release of her spouse from unjust imprisonment. Between the years 1905 and 1928 Orczy published 13 collections of short stories about the Old Man in the Corner and Lady Molly Robertson-Kirk of Scotland Yard. Elvi Hale played Lady Molly in the episode 'The Woman in the Big Hat' (1971) of The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. In the late 1910s Baroness Orczy and her husband moved to Monte Carlo where they stayed during the Nazi occupation. Their son John Montague Orczy-Barstow published under the name John Blakeney the novel The Life and Exploits of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1935) with a foreword by the Baroness Orczy. Montague Barstow died in 1942. After World War II Orczy spent her remaining years in England. A prolific writer she worked actively until her eighties and finished her autobiography LINKS IN THE CHAIN OF LIFE (1947) before her death.

Baroness Orczy died in London on November 12 1947. Some rights reserved Petri Liukkonen (author) & Ari Pesonen. Kuusankosken kaupunginkirjasto 2008 Emma Orczy - Wikidata Emma Orczy Hungarian-British author of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" Baroness Orczy Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci Statements Cite this page This page was last modified on 10 January 2017, at 17:19. All structured data from the main and property namespace is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License ; text in the other namespaces is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Question: Which British novelist wrote 'The Scarlet Pimpernel'?
Answer: BARONESS ORCZY